A wireless network represented by a wireless LAN (local area network) is conventionally used for data transmission between devices such as personal computers (PC). Such a wireless network can be constructed so as to transmit data from an access point to devices through multicast transmission.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless transmission apparatus that wirelessly communicates with other communication stations within a wireless network. This wireless transmission apparatus includes a wireless processing means that transmits and receives a wireless signal, and a control means that sets a predetermined frame cycle received by the wireless processing means based on management information from surrounding communication stations, that defines a predetermined position within the set frame cycle as a management information transmission area, that prescribes a plurality of slots in the management information transmission area to allow communication stations to transmit management information through one of the slots, that prescribes a portion of the slots as a new entry slot in advance, and that executes processing, for involving a transmission source of a specific signal in the wireless network when the specific signal is recognized at a predetermined new entry slot position.
If AV (audio visual) contents are transmitted by utilizing wireless transmission, the AV contents can be distributed through multicast transmission to a plurality of devices at the same time as described above. Not only a device having a display and a speaker integrated such as a television appliance (television) is available, but also a television and a plurality of speakers (e.g., 5.1-ch surround system) can be combined and utilized as devices on the side of receiving the distribution of AV contents (referred to as sink devices). Since such a form of utilization through the multicast transmission is difficult in a wired AV transmission mode such as conventional HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), AV systems utilizing wireless transmission are likely to become widespread in the future.